It was a busy week for Zelia Amaral, who bakes sweet bread every day during Holy Week, out of the kitchen at the family's Warren restaurant. It takes about 24 hours to make a loaf, so Mrs. Amaral will prep the dough on one day, for baking the next. The San Miguel native makes about 350 loaves for pre-Easter sales, though a more typical week will see her yield about 50 loaves, which she typically preps Tuesdays and bakes Wednesdays. The octogenarian usually enlists her husband Gil to give a hand around the kitchen, but Mr. Amaral is not her only assistant, according to son Don. "She'll grab whoever's walking by."

Zelia's delicious sweet bread is available at Amaral's Fish & Chips, 4 Redmond St., Warren; 401/247-0675; for $6 per loaf.